Wireless communication devices are commonly used today to wirelessly communicate information about goods. For example, transponders may be attached to goods during their manufacture, transport and/or distribution to provide information, such as an identification number, expiration date, date of manufacture or “born on” date, lot number, and the like. The transponder allows this information to be obtained unobtrusively using wireless communication without slowing down the manufacturing, transportation, and/or distribution process.
Short-range transmitters or interrogation devices are located throughout the manufacturing facility to communicate with the wireless communication devices associated with goods during their manufacture, transport and/or distribution. These transmitters are located in specific areas within the facility to interrogate the wireless communication devices in defined areas. The transmitters are typically located apart from each other so that their radio-frequency signals do not overlap with one another. A common facility may have to contain hundreds if not thousands of transmitters so that wireless communication devices in all areas of the facility can be interrogated by a transmitter.
The information received by the transmitters from wireless communication devices is typically communicated back to a central processing receiver or hub using a communications network. The hub processes all of the information for any number of reasons, including, but not limited to, tracking and monitoring of the goods. Due to the large number of transmitters required, the communications network linking the transmitters to the hub can be quite complex and involve hundreds if not thousands of wiring connections, thereby causing additional installation and material expense above the expense of the transmitters and the hubs. If the additional expense of this communication network could be eliminated, the prohibitive nature of implementing a wireless communication system using wireless communication devices in manufacturing and/or distribution facilities would be lessened.